4-Star Recruit McHale Blade To Commit To USC Trojans Over Notre Dame, Michigan?

“I have good relationships with Coach Riley, the defensive line coach Coach Nua, and Coach Henderson. I love the way they’re trending,” Blade told 247Sports. “They have the No. 1 recruiting class right now and are firing on all cylinders. I can see them being one of the top programs in the next years to come."

Blade has shown the most interest in Notre Dame thus far, but is giving each school a chance. The Trojans must put on a strong show during Blade’s visit to convince the four-star edge to choose Southern Cal over Big Ten opponents and a program rival.

“Coach Freeman always calls to check on me and my family. They treat us really well. It's about an hour and 45 minutes away,” Blade said. “Chris Burgess, that's my guy and I'd love to play with him in college. It's a really great program that impressed me this year and I'm excited to see what they do in the future."

The USC Trojans recruiting class of 2026 is filled with elite players. The class ranks No. 2 in the nation and No. 1 in the Big Ten, per On3. The class is filled with strong defensive linemen, including four-stars Simote Katoanga, Jaimeon Winfield, Tomuhini Topui, Braeden Jones, and Shaun Scott.

The class features 16 four-star recruits and nine three-stars. Though the Trojans did have two five-star recruits, linebacker Xavier Griffin decommitted and cornerback R.J. Sermons reclassified to the class of 2025. 

The momentum in USC's recruiting class has been paying off. The energy within the building is only growing, and a lot has to do with the excitement for the incoming players.

“I mean, the momentum in this building right now is real. Ask anybody that’s been around this program for the last several months, like they feel it, they see it, and you see a lot of these things really coming together,” USC coach Lincoln Riley told CBS Sports’ Josh Pate.

“I think recruiting is always a great barometer with where your program's at right,” Riley continued. “You’ve got high school players that a lot of these guys are recruiting have the option to go just about anywhere in the country they want to.”

The Trojans will have to keep up communication with Blade to earn his commitment over his other top schools, but with the momentum USC is having, the program could bring in another top edge rusher.

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